Tricia Guild

Tricia Guild is the woman behind Designers Guild, the multimillion-dollar international company that is most recognized for the intense colors and exotic designs of its fabrics, wall coverings and home furnishings. As the founder and creative director of the company, Guild admits that she has a type A personality and can be quite demanding of her employees. ‘I am passionate, and I love what I do. When you are disciplined, you get more done,’ states Guild, in her confident, matter-of-fact tone.

Guild and neutrals don’t go together. Her London home is filled with color, and she never tires of it. ‘People are afraid to use color, and it is a shame,’ she says. Luckily, Designers Guild takes the fear out of even the most severe color-phobes. As for inspiration, she says, it mainly comes from her world travels and another of her passions, gardening.

Exhibit A: Designers Guild’s new Spring 2007 collections, based on the beauty of Japan and its natural landscape. The prints include cherry blossoms, dahlia blooms, leaves and bamboo as well as lanterns and pagodas. Colors are vibrant pinks, turquoise and lime green (Guild’s favorite color combination) as well and black and white. Pearlized and metallic touches add an iridescent and modern element to the traditional designs.

And if her spring collection just isn’t enough for fans of Designers Guild, they can pick up the most recent of the 11 books Guild has written on design and color, Tricia Guild Pattern: Using Pattern to Create Sophisticated, Showstopping Interiors, ($40, Rizzoli, 2006). It is a book that needed to be written, Guild believes, because ‘people always need help with patterns and styles and using them to create a cohesive look.’

After 35-plus years, neither Designers Guild nor Guild herself shows any signs of exhaustion. The company is always working on something new, whether it’s a fabric collection or a complementary home fragrance line that was launched in 2004. It seems that Guild won’t quit until every last one of us welcomes bold colors and patterns into our homes.

Designers Guild available to the trade through Osborne & Little at Grizzel & Mann, ADAC. Visit designersguild.com for more information.